Is that a GRAY HAIR, Michelle? Usually flawless First Lady appears to have missed a colorist appointment as she dines with kids in the White House garden

Most women, by the age of 49, are familiar with gray hair, and it seems Michelle Obama is no exception.

She sat down to dine with elementary school students on the South Lawn of the White House today, and just a couple of rogue strands of white hair could be glimpsed atop her head.

As First Lady, and mother of two, she is a very busy woman with numerous responsibilities and a hectic schedule, making a missed trip to the colorist an understandable occurrence.

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Unlikely slip: Michelle Obama samples flatbread pizza prepared today with schoolchildren using produce from the White House Kitchen Garden. But as she bent her head, a white hair could be glimpsed atop her head

Missed a colorist appointment? The First Lady, 49, is known for her usually polished appearance

And while some choose to embrace it
to fantastic effect, the majority prefer to color their hair in order to
maintain a youthful appearance.

Mrs Obama should not stress about those traces of gray though, says celebrity hairstylist John Barrett.

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'Women often panic at the first signs of grays. I always, always say - do
not panic, and do not rush to the salon to dye your entire head of
hair,' he told MailOnline.

Gardening chic: The First Lady, 49, looked cool and casual jogging out to meet her young guests, in a green check shirt, dark blue jeans and yellow Converse sneakers

'At the first signs, as in Mrs Obama's case, it's only necessary
to touch up hair that's already gray,' he explained. 'When I see clients with first
signs of gray, I always recommend touching up with a small
styling brush about the size of a toothbrush.

'You never want to compromise
the condition of your hair, especially if it's not absolutely necessary
to achieve the desired look.'

Taste of summer: The group tuck into homemade pizza after their toils on the South Lawn of the White House

A pizza the action: The children appeared to be having fun decorating the flatbread pies with greens

Mr Barrett admits that maintenance of grays can be trying for
brunettes though, as the pale strands stand out more starkly on dark hair than
they do on blondes.

This sentiment is echoed by Mordechai Alvow, founder of Manhattan's Yarok Hair, who says the frequency of colorist appointments vary for each individual.

'It really depends on the percentage of gray in your hair,' he told MailOnline. 'It's about six weeks, some people it's a little more often.'

Green thumbs up! Mrs Obama was joined by schoolchildren for a summer harvest of the White House garden

In the pink: Mrs Obama gathers a bundle of home-grown radishes for the group to enjoy later

Verdant palette: The First Lady's green check shirt co-ordinated with the leafy greens she was harvesting

A trace of gray is not all bad though,
he adds: 'The trend for being OK with some gray started a few years ago,
when Chanel featured a gray-haired model [Kristen McMenamy] in its
campaigns,' he said.

'It allowed women not to worry as much.'

In fact, he'll even leave a little gray in some clients' hair on purpose as it can add dimension to the color and just appear to be a strand that is catching the light.

Treading carefully: The First Lady side-steps a trug as she helps out her young guests

Garden party: The children gathered around the raised beds on the South Lawn for the harvest

Hugs and harvesting: The mother-of-two made plenty of time for each of the youngsters

'I
am actually using the organic color system, which is 78 per cent natural with no ammonia,' he explained. 'Even if
you have some gray, it reflects through the color so you don't see
an obvious line...

'When clients want to not to worry too much, I keep gray strands in the color. It can look great.'

True to form, Mrs Obama didn't look
worried in the slightest today. Instead, her focus was on children
from schools in New Jersey, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Vermont and
Washington DC.

A good job well done: Mrs Obama poses with the students from New Jersey, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Vermont and Washington DC, in the White House Kitchen Garden after the harvest

Together, they gathered fresh vegetables as part of a summer harvest and then made flatbread pizza with the produce.

Among the group in attendance were students from two New Jersey schools
damaged by Hurricane Sandy.

Mrs Obama told them: 'It
hasn’t been that easy, but you guys have managed to get through the
school year way on top of the game, and we’re just very proud of you.'